Blog 12: Final Blog Post

 

    Technology has come a long way over the years. Depending on peoples' perspectives and technology use, it can be beneficial or harmful.

    The first video we watched in class of the Futurama ride showed a positive perspective of technology. It predicted many beneficial uses of technology that have advanced the USA. For example, it predicted that technology would be
able to get a man on the moon, submarines, filtered ocean water, movable walkways, better highways and electric vehicles as well as many other advancements. These advancements helped
America greatly and made life easier.

   However, there is a downside to technology. The Mad World video takes a different approach and shows how much of a distraction technology is and prevents us from viewing the world around us.

     This video also shows people acting happy for their phones but actually sad in real life and I believe that a lot of influencers or even everyday people that post do this. My generation wants to look happy even though we are all dealing with stuff behind closed doors. If I scroll on Instagram, everyone looks their best and happy. 

  

 However, there are some influencers that do talk about the hard times and mental health openly, which is good because then my generation can relate to them and connect with them. For example, Tiktoker Nessa Barrett is very open about her borderline personality disorder and her eating disorder along with the struggles that come with it. This allows other people
with similar conditions to feel heard and normal.  

     The Mad World video also portrays people as zombies and not caring about others around them. I sadly can relate to this because whenever I walk around campus I'm almost always on my phone texting or Snapchatting. To our generation, it fills the void of having to walk without entertainment and prevents us from having to have awkward eye contact with people walking by. 

    I also believe that Generation Z spends way too much time on our phones and other technologies. For example, I do all of my homework and most of my notes on my laptop. This means that my laptop is always open for every class and I am always looking at the screen. I also use my laptop to watch videos, which takes up some more hours of the day. My laptop screen time averages about 5 hours a day. 

     Additionally, I am always scrolling on my phone when there is nothing else to do. It has become a habit that whenever I stop doing something, I immediately pick up my phone and start watching TikTok. So, my screen time on my phone is averaged at 5 hours a day. 

    This means that I spend about 10 hours of my day looking at technology, which is insane. I am on technology more than I sleep and it is not okay, but it is how my generation functions. 

     Digital footprint is the trail of data that you leave behind when using the internet. I believe that my
digital footprint is okay compared to many others. A digital footprint is super important because if you want to get a serious job then the employers will look at what you have posted and judge if it is how they want to be represented. If you use explicit language in your posts or post with alcohol while underaged or even drugs then the company will most likely not hire you. 

    You may think that you can just take down the posts, however, once your digital footprint is online, it can't be deleted. When Generation Z went to school we were never taught about a digital footprint and so many people posted things that they would probably regret in the future. 

    An easy example of digital footprints having consequences is influencers getting canceled for things that they posted in the past. For example, Shane Dawson was canceled because he posted blackface and other offensive things in his old videos. This led to him apologizing and leaving the internet for a while.